Contact number: (+0632) 3454823 (0922) 8122224

Website: http://bacciristorante.multiply.com/

Short description of business: Italian Restaurant

Short description of products and services: We make our own bread, pizza crust, sausages, chili sauce (olive oil with chili). We cure our own bacon, salmon and ham. You should try our Cassouella, the Italian crispy pata that is cured for 8 days. So every morsel is flavorful and worth coming back for. Opens Mon:10:00 am-10:00 pm, Tue:10:00 am-12:00 am, Wed:10:00 am-10:00 pm, Thu:10:00 am-12:00 am, Fri:10:00 am-3:00 am.

MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA – If you are curious to know how fried chicken tasted in the 1950s, just head to the original Savory in Escolta to savor the home-style cooking of one of Manila’s iconic food hubs.

An old sepia picture of the restaurant’s facade hangs on the wall, reminding diners how the two-storey building looked like hen it was just established by the Ting brothers as a small panciteria serving fried chicken on the side.

Actually, not much has changed in the building’s facade, save for the older look of the building and the jeepneys that pass by the area.

Inside, the interiors of the first floor of the building remains simple – rows of black chairs and white tables accented by small bottles of condiments. It still is a no-frills restaurant – you go there primarily to eat.

If you are out on a date or a family dinner, then better reserve ahead to get one of the red tables on the second floor, which is mainly reserved for regular diners and special parties. During rainy days, it is advisable to eat at the second floor because the first floor tends to get flooded especially during a heavy downpour.

Upon entry, we were immediately welcomed and guided to a four-seater table. We arrived at around 6p.m., still early for dinner since diners usually arrive around 7p.m.

Nasi Igama, the 50-year-old waiter greeted us and gave us the menu. We immediately ordered half- chicken (P170) cooked in the original Savory recipe and a plateful of Yang Chao fried rice (P150).

In three to five minutes, our order arrived and we dig in to the goodness of what patrons would usually refer to as “Manila’s original fried chicken.” I guess it was because we were one of the first customers to arrive for dinner so there’s less waiting time involved.

Unlike the crispy and flavored fried chicken served in most fast food joints today, Savory’s chicken is juicy and tender at the same time, perfect with rice even without the overflowing gravy served in other restaurants.

The chicken was actually deep-fried and did not use any batter so the skin might look more brown than usual but not charred. Biting into the tasteful skin, you would notice that the chicken meat is actually flavourful, not bland like ordinary fast food chicken.

To enjoy the chicken skin more, best to eat once it’s served while crispy.

This same home-style fried chicken was the reason that the second generation of the Ting family infused new capital to the business and started their own chain in major city malls. But nothing beats eating at the original restaurant, where the furniture and everything is pared down except for the chicken’s taste.

Overall, the servings are big and would satisfy three hungry persons. The waiter also served as a pitcher of water immediately upon request and gave us a big serving of their gravy for takeout. The restaurant does not add up a service charge on your bill but it would be modest to give a small tip.

Eating at Savory is like eating to enjoying the cooking of an old friend. And good food, like good friends, never gets old. It will always have its following even after six decades have passed.

How to get there: From LRT Carriedo Station, you can walk along Escolta Street. Or ride a jeepney from Intramuros bound for Quiapo and tell the driver to drop you off at Savory Escolta.

Get more information Original Savory Restaurant

Related stories:

Passion for good food spells success for Max’s fried chicken chain

Chicken ‘inato’ is a specialty in this Butuan restaurant

Binondo restaurant is famous among foodies for its fried chicken

Want it crispy, sweet and spicy? Try Manang’s Chicken

MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA— The streets of Binondo are filled with restaurants and food stalls that offer authentic Chinese specialties without burning a hole in your wallet.

And tucked almost secretly inside an old building (Uy Su Bin Building, to be exact) along Quintin Paredes Street is one hole-in-the wall spot you definitely must not miss on your next food trip to Chinatown.

The Chinese fresh lumpia of New Po Heng is perhaps one of the must-raved delicacies among foodies and bloggers alike.

Wrapped inside these freshly made spring rolls are bits of fresh vegetables, ground peanuts and dried powdered seaweed topped with generous amounts of peanut sauce.

While their interior may not necessarily spell appetizing,it is a completely different story once you take a bite of their lumpia. The peanuts and the vegetables make the perfect crunch plus the sauce for its savory taste, too.

Karla Redor of Foodtrippings.com also recommends their maki to go along with the lumpia. And since it’s located inside an old building, she also says it’s a good place to snap vintage-looking photos.

Overall, New Po Heng’s fresh lumpia is a good way to end your walking heritage tour of Chinatown. If you can’t have enough of one lumpia, why not order another one? It’ll costs you another 50 pesos, which is worth the trip to the foodie paradise that is Binondo.

Related Stories:

Binondo restaurant is famous among foodies for its fried chicken

In Binondo, a place to find fortune cookies

Taking the Pedestrian Walk along Binondo on New Year’s Eve

How to enjoy your trip to Binondo this Chinese New Year

Contact number: (+0632) 2421443

Short description of business: Food

Short description of products and services: Chicken, Chinese noodles, Chinese cuisine

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA– From Korea via Singapore, 4 Fingers opened its first store in the Philippines and is the latest addition to the crispy chicken craze.

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken opened its first branch at the SM North Edsa to introduce Filipinos to the unique concept of making this double deep-fried goodness.

Four foodie friends first introduced 4 Fingers (hence, the name) in Singapore in 2009 with a shared passion for good food with an attitude.

It prides for itself for applying the “hand-painting” technique when coating the chicken with their specialty sauce of soy garlic and/or spicy, allowing the flavor to cling tightly to the chicken’s  crispy skin.

The interior of 4 Fingers also speaks of a modern twist courtesy of the Pinoy artist collective WeWillDoddle. The walls are obviously inspired by New York’s subway with graffiti and murals reflecting Koreatown, where 4 Fingers originated.

As a crispy wings fan, 4 Fingers definitely makes an impression in terms of flavor. The hand-painting technique also works in that you can savor the spice or soy garlic in every bite.

Other must-tries include the Katsu Chicken Sandwhich, Calamari and Shrimp and their Seafood Rice Box.

“The significant growth of the food service industry in the past year and Filipinos’ knack for good food are opportunities that brought us here,” says Jord Figee, one of the founders of  4 Fingers.

(More info at the 4 Fingers Chicken Philippines Facebook page)
Related Stories:

Want it crispy, sweet and spicy? Try Manang’s Chicken

Enjoy chicken ‘inasal’ amid an 80s ambiance in this Paranaque restaurant

Binondo restaurant is famous among foodies for its fried chicken

Chicken ‘inato’ is a specialty in this Butuan restaurant

Contact No.: (02) 241-8789; 242-9776

Short description of business: Food Products, Food Establishments

Short description of products and services: New Po Heng is home to the much-raved fresh lumpia in Binondo.

Branches: Legazpi Sunday Market, Mercato Centrale and Soderno at Molito

Contact Number: (+0632) 517-8776; (+0632) 348-0492; (+0917) 627-8809

E-mail Address: macorcuera_diseno@yahoo.com

Short description of business: Food

Short description of products and services: Casa Goñi offers affordable Paella and other Spanish Cuisines in food markets across the city or thru its catering services.

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA–Once upon a time, the trend among fast food chains and restaurants was who could come up with the crunchiest fried chicken and the tastiest gravy to compliment it.

But the demand nowadays has raised the bar to another level as consumer look for more, such as double, deep-fried chicken topped with sauce and sesame seeds.

This familiar Korean street food has conquered the local market following the advent of South Korea’s franchise restaurant Bonchon and local pioneer Chicken Charlie.

And being the food enthusiasts Filipinos are, there’s another version of this deep-fried goodness that’s causing the craze among weekend markets across the metro.

Manang’s Chicken came into business when it first opened a stall at the Mercato Centrale in Taguig back in 2010.

Our Awesome Planet’s author Anton Diaz writes that this actually started as a home-cooked favorite by the owner’s househelp, thus the name “Manang’s.”

Since then, this deep-fried goodness has lured foodies to buying boxes after boxes of Manang’s Chicken courtesy of that sweet-and-spicy sauce we Filipinos have grown partial to.

It’s also quite cheaper compared to Bonchon. A box with six pieces of wings in Manang’s Chicken is priced at P149 while their wings and thighs combo at P374.

A personal favorite is the extra spicy soy garlic sauce for the wings. The chickens are lathered with generous amounts of this savory sauce which goes really well with it deep-fried.

Following their Mercato Centrale success, Manang’s Chicken has expanded their menu and opened store branches around Metro Manila as it continues to gain popularity following its tagline “Ang Bagong Fried Chicken ng Pinoy.”

Get more information about Manang’s Chicken

Related Stories:

Chicken ‘inato’ is a specialty in this Butuan restaurant

Binondo restaurant is famous among foodies for its fried chicken

Taste the flavor of authentic Bacolod chicken ‘inasal’ at Aida’s in Makati

Enjoy chicken ‘inasal’ amid an 80s ambiance in this Paranaque restaurant

BORACAY ISLAND, AKLAN – In the early 1980s, Dionisio Salme was working for a real estate owner. A resident of Negros Occidental, he was uprooted to work in Aklan.

In those years, Boracay was a little-known island that only foreigners mostly knew for its pristine white sand beaches and its windy east side that was perfect for surfboarding and kite boarding.

Struck with an idea, he moved to the island, which had nothing else but a few huts and some basic utilities. He saw the potential of the island as a tourist destination and he put up one of the earliest beach resorts, which he called Jony’s.

First, he put a few huts that catered to mostly foreign tourists. This has grown to a 21-room, multi-floor structure that is just less than 100 meters from the beach.

After over 25 years in operation, the resort continues to stand amid massive infrastructure and commercial growth in Boracay.

Along with the opening of the huts, Mang Dionisio also opened a small restaurant and bar. His specialty is making mixed variety shakes, many of which he developed on his own. These include young coconut shakes, pineapple-mango, mango-banana, mango-papaya-strawberry, papaya banana, among others.

One especially popular shake flavor is what he calls the Banana Peanut Butter Dream, a blend that follows the same concept as the banana peanut butter ice cream. “We hit the right spot with this blend,” he says.

He recalls how his business started when a European tourist came to the island with a blender where he mixed a number of fruits and drank it to his liking. Emulating the concept, Mang Dionisio came out with his own variety. The shake eventually became the key to his resort’s success.

With the growth of his restaurant and bar business, he also expanded to local and international food. One of his children took up culinary arts and became the head food developer for the restaurant.

Businesses have come and gone in Boracay and Salme has seen them all. He ascribed his success in business to knowing how exactly he would want to feel if he were to live in an island resort.

“I was not a resident here before so I thought the same way that a tourist would think whenever going to a resort. That way, I would be able to anticipate their demands.”

While Boracay has been essentially “invaded” by big brand hotel chains, he still believes that small resorts like Jony’s would survive. And although there is potential for him to expand his business he said he is already content with what he has.

“We cater to those who still like the feeling of staying in a quaint place,” he says.

Get more information about Jony’s

Related stories:

Savor a myriad of foreign dishes at Boracay’s Garden Café

Swimming inside the caves of the Crystal Cove in Boracay

From Boracay on a RoRo

Get your Boracay fruitshake fix this summer at Jonah’s

‘Calamansi’ muffin is a favorite in this Boracay Island cafe

Website: www.manangschicken.com

Contact Number: (922) 816-4271

Short description of business: Food Establishments

Short description of products and services: Manang’s Chicken is home to the savory double deep-fried chicken mixed with sweet-and-spicy soy garlic sauce.